The Art of Friendship
by Ryssa1457
Summary: It didn't matter that there were circuits under his skin. He would always human to her. But she knew that others would not be as understanding as she was. Robin/Wally; Robin/M'gaan Friendship; "The Art of Being Human/Broken" different view


**Heyyyy. THIS ONE. Is from M'gaan's point of view. Daddy Bat's point of view will be next. **

**PLEASE NOTE: That M'gaan isn't at all interested in Robin sexually. They're just friends. Close friends. But still friends. Rob x Wally, yes?**

**I am also working on a happy-ending for Rob and Wally in another oneshot, okie doke? Okie dokie.**

**READ AND ENJOY AND REVIEW.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own. Never will.**

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><p>His blue eyes were striking, his smile even more so. But what was the most unique was that his thoughts weren't where they were supposed to be. There was metal underneath his skin, a machine behind his smile. But, in retrospect, she'd never met anyone more human.<p>

"You know, I think you're the greatest friend I've ever had."

—

He'd admitted his inhumanness the moment she asked why she couldn't access his thoughts in the link the team formed. He begged (_begged_) that M'gaan keep it a secret, if only for the fact that Batman would pull him out of the team if they knew about his condition.

She, of course, promised. She didn't have a reason not to. And his eyes were so big and so sad. She was happy to accommodate.

The relief on his face made her less tense.

She decided right then that it didn't matter that there were circuits under his skin. He would be human to her.

—

Robin was an exceptionally nice person. He laughed often, and loved to play with human English. M'gaan often wondered the fun he would have with the Martian language.

"Hey, Miss M, do you wanna go get something to eat?"

She lowered her voice and got really close to the Teen Wonder. "You can eat?"

He grinned, showing off beautifully white teeth.

"I was made to enjoy the finer things in life." He held out his hand to her. "So... wanna go?"

She took the proffered hand, even while she asked, "don't you wanna go with Wally?" The skin on his cheeks turned pink with a blush (and M'gaan had to commemorate Batman for his remarkable achievement in making the perfect human out of lifeless parts).

"Ah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, you see." And he tugged her out the entryway. She found herself in the Batcave, and Robin held a finger to his lips, skittering up the stairs and out into Gotham's streets.

—

"Did you know that organic things can be turned into fuel?" Robin said, munching on some pizza. "That's the whole process I go through, you know. The Creator," he stopped himself, then restarted. "Batman was really efficient with that. Said I couldn't miss out on the things others got to see. Besides, it'd be odd if I never ate, yeah?"

He was babbling, but M'gaan didn't mind. It made her want to ruffle his hair.

"Robin," she said gently, "didn't you wanna talk about Wally?"

He swallowed. "Oh. Yeah. I did say that." His eyes flickered around her and then landed on her face. "Uhm," he bit his lip, "yeah. I think. I mean. I'm interested in him. He's," a smile graced his oh-so-human face. "He's so nice. And funny."

M'gaan couldn't keep the skeptical frown off her face. Robin sighed, drawing circles on the table with his left index finger. "It's because I'm not human, isn't it," he said quietly.

M'gaan felt her heart clench painfully for her friend. Goodness, she'd never seen someone so... expressive. "You're a person, Robin. People feel things. But..." She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "But he doesn't know you're not flesh and blood."

Robin blinked and rubbed at his eyes, and M'gaan could swear that his eyes glistened with tears.

(But, then, he was already terribly human. It was no wonder he could cry.)

—

It came as a surprise that Wally and Robin were holding hands over breakfast one morning. They were grinning and happy and Robin winked at her from across the table.

She hid a smile behind her hand. It was lovely to see Robin truly happy with his humanity.

(She stomped down on the pessimism that was questioning what Wally would do when he found out Robin had no muscle under his flesh.)

—

She watched.

Robin's skin was getting shredded and all she could do was watch.

Robin lifted the beast and threw it. He threw the monster _far_. Then he turned, looking over his shoulder, his synthetic flash hanging off of his metal arms.

His horrified face reflected the faces of the rest of the team. Their voices were screaming in her head, as if they'd forgotten that they didn't want her reading their minds.

_What... what is he? _He's a machine, Kaldur. But so?

_I don't. Understand. _It's not that big a deal, Superboy.

All she got from Artemis was terrible shock.

_Oh god. I made out with a – a – _

They were all painfully and wretchedly shocked. M'gaan just felt horribly sad.

—

The reattachment of Robin's skin was a long process. And Robin just sat there, impassively. His eyes weren't even watering. M'gaan wondered if Robin had the ability to cry after everyone's rejection.

Batman remained silent throughout the whole thing.

Robin's metal hand was cold on her wrist as he looked at her. "I'm not a person. I'm just..." M'gaan didn't know what word he was looking for. She probably didn't want to know. "I'm not coming back to Mount Justice."

"But Robin!" She was appalled. How was she supposed to get the courage to talk to Superboy, if Robin wouldn't be there to agree to be in the room with her? "I'm sure that they'll be fine, if you explain why you couldn't tell. I'm sure –"

Robin smiled, a sad smile, and Batman took his metal hand to begin adding skin to it.

"The living befriend the living. And I'm not alive," he said quietly. "Thank you," he said, almost as an afterthought. "Thank you for being such a good friend to me."

M'gaan sighed and bid Batman and Robin goodbye.

(She had some things to say to the members of Young Justice.)

—

"Robin –" M'gaan knew her voice sounded sad. "Robin isn't coming back.

Wally sneered. "Who would want a freak like that – "

M'gaan pushed her telepathy angrily against Wally's mouth, almost scared of her own anger, but knowing where it came from and that it was justified. "As I was saying," she murmured. "Robin isn't coming back. And I'm ashamed at all of you for letting it happen."

She swept out of the room, sighing, walking to her room and contemplating the absence of her friend.

—

It was the middle of the night when they came. The black ops unit of one of the League's enemies (presumably) had stormed in and attacked.

M'gaan had gotten only slightly more forewarning that everyone else, malice racing in her thoughts as she shot out of bed.

She reached for the commlink that was tuned to Robin's frequency. At least, it had been, if Robin hadn't had his brain rewired.

"Robin – " she shouted into the comm, "Robin, help – " and she rushed into the hallway and out to where Wally, Kaldur, and Superboy holding out against nine or ten of the attackers.

Wait.

Eleven.

And the eleventh one hit her, head on.

—

When she awoke, Wally was shaking her, Batman was brooding over her, and Kaldur was waking Artemis and Superboy.

"We have to go check on Rob. He hasn't come back yet and – "

_And I need to apologize. I need to tell him – _

M'gaan shut him out. Those thoughts were too private for her to look at.

They all traveled through the beam together, only to find the main room of Mount Justice demolished. Metal scraps were lodged into the walls and the furniture. And the members of the unit that had ransacked the place. M'gaan covered her mouth with her hand, hoping that would hold back the whimpers that were bound to be in her throat.

Those metal scraps... The torn clothing... Robin had...

(_Robin had - )_

"That's what the beeping at been," Wally said, wandering further into the room. He bent down to pick something up, and one of his thoughts smacked her in the mind.

_No, no, please, no, Robin, no._

She heard Batman's breathing hitch and wrapped her arms around herself.

"_Thank you for being such a good friend to me."_

M'gaan put her face in her hands and began to cry.


End file.
